MAWMonday Motivators 03/19/2017

What are you here to do? Now, how do you monetize it?

This is not my typical motivation approach. Usually, money doesn’t enter the equation of motivation. But, I am a bit exhausted by people who are failing to reach for their dreams because the numbers don’t quite add up. This week, I want to add both some Process, which is a MAWMonday Motivators staple, and some Business Model. But, never forget what really matters. Twitter hasn’t.

1. What to do?

First things first. Figure out what you are here to do. Second step, do it with passion. Figuring out what you are here to do is easy. If you are between 12 and 18 years old and unemployed, you do it most of the day. If you are over 18 years of age or employed, you do it mostly when you have a break. In both cases, you find ways to do this thing. The only wrinkle is that it is not simply the thing that you do. Your thing is the reason and joy you get out of that activity.

For example, you could watch movies or play video games. But, realize that some people do those activities and are mesmerized by the cinematography, the code logic, the artistry, or the marketing. Every person doing a thing may have a different reason and joy in doing it. Identify that activity. Tell me why (reason and joy), and you identify your purpose.

2. Sustaining It

Love, Peace, and Freedom. You could add faith and hope to that list, but the three are what we have faith and hope for. Your choice and revelation about your passion is only one step toward achieving these three. You must realize that these are the goal. Money, fame, and recognition are all vanity that fades away with the passage of time. They ebb and flow with the whims of others. Love, Peace, and Freedom renew themselves through your process. They respond to your decisions. If you seek them first, the rest will fall into place.

3. Opportunities

And now, you need to monetize that passion. Consider two things. First, as the tweet suggests, you must adopt the posture of looking for opportunities. Even when everything seems to be daunting or destroyed or devastated, you must look for your opportunities. My favorite example is the Oprah story. Before she was Oprah the billionaire, she was Oprah the one who got fired. I’m sure the firing hurt, but (cliche alert) it’s not where you start, but where you finish that counts.

Second, consider that there are only 4 product distribution streams available. This makes your monetization quest more simple than you may have been led to believe. You are going to make money from your passion by one or a combination of books/story, web, audio/video, or app. Your task is to consider what your passion produces and which of the distribution channels fits.

4. Try Again

Building a business model is part structured process, part art. Speaking from experience, you can have the greatest idea. It can fit with your passion. You can have a viable business model outlined. And, one wrong assumption can render your work a failure. But, I like to think of the learning along the way. After all, the activities were those that I chose for my reasons and my joy. The fact that they didn’t pay off is not the end of the world. It is certainly not the end of my world. I’m going to keep doing what I love and looking for the right combination of favor, luck, and investors.

5. The Most Important

Perhaps the biggest challenge is not to get lost on the path to your goals. The allure of success as a lifestyle is the temptation to find purpose in the success without the reason and joy of the actual purpose. I know this all too well. The threat is that you will not get to the levels of influence and world change that are possible for you. You get complacent in “just good enough” losing your motivation and will to reach for more. You will know this because you retain some fear, anxiety, and uncertainty even in your success. Success based on your purpose is not about “comfort.” In spite of the deference to fame, money, and recognition, your purpose will make a difference. It will hold no fear, anxiety, or uncertainty. Your purpose will enable a sustainable flow of what is most important: love, peace, and freedom.

Sometimes we get so lost in life, we forget about the most important things. Things like being present, kind and caring. Let's remember.

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Michael A. Wright, PhD is a father and a 20 year veteran husband. He works as a serial entrepreneur based in Reno, Nevada. Michael's current interests are in technical services, online training, publishing, and app development. Follow @MAWMedia on Twitter or connect for a consultation at MAWMedia.com